Courage is Magic
by Tsundere-Kun
Summary: What was it like for Richter before the worlds were rejoined? Well, no one really knows for sure, but this is what I think it would be. It's much more interesting than I make it sound here, trust me. I'm just not good at summaries.


This was originally meant to be short, but somehow (according to the program I used to write it) it's now over 9,000 words. No idea how that happened, but oh well. I hope if you read this you'll send a review of some sort my way. It would be appreciated if you did, but like anyone else on here I can't force you.

Thank you AntiSora, for causing me to look this over and correct the spots I messed up at.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Richter, Aster, or anything else related to Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. They all belong to Namco, and last time I checked, that wasn't me. ^_^

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><p><em>"Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality."<em>

Location: Sybak, Tethe'alla

Year: 3990 A.K.W.

The sun slowly rose behind a blanket of clouds as a light rain fell softly upon the inhabitants of Sybak, nicknamed the City of Technology. The weather had been quite terrible, but steadily lessened as the new day began. One normally would think nothing of it, but the better weather helped a young boy of six. It aided him in the fact that it lessened the chance of the one he tended catching a cold.

He had watched in fear as boys a few years his elder ganged up and bullied the young child that laid before the blond boy. They hadn't stopped, even as the rain had begun to fall upon them. Not one of them ceased until the boy's red hair was matted with blood, rain, and mud and his slightly tanned skin looked like it had more cuts and bruises than smooth skin; especially near his face and slightly pointed ears. But still the young boy had gazed upon the scene, frozen to the spot, only moving once the older group left the redhead lying upon the ground unconscious.

The blond knelt beside the other, his mental state still shaken from what he had seen. "Come on, you can do it," the boy murmured, tears mixing with rain water. His tiny hands carefully wrapped the other's wrist in a bandage as the material steadily became soaked through with precipitation and blood. "Come on..." For a moment, the younger of the two thought his efforts had failed. A soft cough escaped his charge's lips, although it could barely be heard by the blond's human ears. He smiled slightly, tears still running down his childish face. "Thank Martel."

The whisper caused a twitch from the unconscious male. Dark green eyes slowly opened to gaze up at the little human boy, but only for a couple seconds before their owner fell into a peaceful sleep. Even breaths drifted from the older boy's mouth, reassuring the child he would be alright.

That was the first of many encounters of similar events the pair had in the next few months. Then one day, the red-haired child just disappeared from Sybak's streets.

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><p>Location: Sybak, Tethe'alla<p>

Year: 3993 A.K.W.

Silence prevailed throughout the building, only a shuffle here or there from the multitude of human researchers going about their business. One young boy around the age of eleven almost tiptoed around the others as quietly as he could. The redhead didn't want to interact with those around him; and they clearly didn't want him around them either. Disgusted mutters followed him as he passed the younger humans, their elders not even giving the boy a glance. They whispered that he was worthless, that he was nothing more than dirt. That the little human blood he had could hardly make up for the elven blood contained within him as well. One of them, a young female roughly a teenager stepped closer to the redheaded half-elf. Noticing this, he flinched back; anticipating nothing good coming from her actions.

Once she was close enough, a hand rose to slap the boy across his face. His head shifted abruptly to the side upon contact, slightly pointed ear tips poking through the strands of the male's hair. "Go off and die, filthy half-breed," she hissed, spinning on her heel and swiftly departing. Others around whom had paused to watch chuckled to themselves, not feeling the least bit guilty for their prejudice, grinning and smirking as they returned to their tasks. The boy sighed weakly, his dark emerald eyes closing as he did so.

Despite his accomplishments, nothing ever really changed. His superiors would take his hard work that he spent hours upon hours researching and pass it off as their own. And every day, without fail, someone would mentally or physically attack him. Depending on his mood, he would sometimes think he was lucky if both occurred every time he stepped out of his room.

"Richter."

Dull eyes looked up from the floor, the sight of a man with pure black hair coming into view. "Yes...Director Schneider?" The boy responded hesitantly.

With but a single gesture of his hand, the director had turned to lead Richter swiftly down the corridor and towards the back of Sybak's research academy. Coming to a halt before a large oak door, Director Schneider turned to look down upon the boy with him. "There has been a new addition to our numbers." Although it appeared he was looking directly at him, the man's gaze was no where near the redhead's eyes. "I'm putting the boy with you."

Richter's eyes widened. "Me? But s-sir, I'm a-oh...he is one as well, isn't he." The director shook his head. "Then why-?"

"Silence. I'll have no questions from you, got it? You may be intelligent but you're still a half-elf." Schneider told him. "At least act like one around humans. Understand?" The redheaded male nodded in understanding as the other turned back to face the door, clearly uncomfortable being around one of a different race. He then raised his voice to call to the one on the other side of the door, "Aster, you may enter."

Slowly, the door before the pair swept back and away from them to reveal a young blond child with bright green eyes wearing a black shirt and pants: both of which were lined with crimson. Despite being in a new place, the boy looked quite excited to be there. He stepped forward into the room, the door falling shut behind him as soon as he released it. With a bow to the director, his gaze shifted temporarily towards Richter and smiled at him. A cough brought his attention back to the eldest in the room. "I'm sorry, Director Schneider, um...didn't you tell me I'd be shown around and stuff like that?"

Richter simply stared at the boy before him. In appearance, the child shouldn't have been any older than nine! And yet he spoke with as much coherency and intelligence as the redhead. Although he had so many questions he wanted to ask, the eleven-year-old kept silent, knowing full well that the director wouldn't take kindly to a half-elf speaking to a human, especially one as young as this "Aster" seemed to be. Wait, what was he smiling at? Richter? Impossible, no human would do that if they knew he was a half-elf, not even this child.

Nodding, Director Schneider proceeded to explain that the redhead with him was the one he spoke of earlier. "As such, Richter," he turned towards the half-elven boy as he spoke. "You are to spend the rest of the day helping Aster settle into his lodgings as well as answer any questions he may have about how we do things here. He will be your charge until I am sure he can handle things himself. Until then your things have been moved to the same room and a cot has been placed within it for the time being as well." The man began to leave in the way he and Richter had come, pausing beside the said researcher to whisper to him. "If he does anything wrong I hope you know it's on your head, not his." With that, the dark-haired male left the pair of children to themselves.

Dark green eyes watched as the director left, the door closing behind him, until a tugging on his lab coat's sleeve caught his attention. Richter turned to stare down at the blond child, his cuff still in the boy's grasp. "Please let go of that, Sir."

"Huh?" Aster wondered, tilting his head to the side. "Why are you calling me 'sir'? Not only am I younger than you in actuality, you're my elder here at the academy as well. If anything, I should be calling you that."

Richter bowed his head in shame, although a bit shocked at the boy's words. "I'm sorry, would you rather me call you Mister Aster?"

Silence fell upon the both of them for a moment, the redhead as still as if he were awaiting a sentence as the young blond boy pondered the statement. "Aster's fine, Mister Abend." Wide dark forest eyes flashed up from the ground to stare at the pair of lighter ones. "What, Mister Abend? What's wrong?" As he spoke, Aster's expression saddened a bit. Then a thought came to him. "You know-" He started at the same time Richter began to say "I'm sor-"

Gasping at his rudeness, Richter immediately stepped back from the boy, afraid that he would react like all the other humans did. "I-I'm sorry, Mister Aster, I-..." His gaze dropped to the floor, the words spilling out of his mouth in a rush. "I'm sorry."

They both paused, the half-elven male's gaze not daring to go any higher than it already was while the human boy's hand never released the material of the coat. "Would you mind showing me around so I can get the hang of things around here?" Aster wondered softly, no anger what-so-ever within it. "I'd hate to cause trouble for you if you have to stop your research to teach me like Director Schneider said."

Not trusting himself enough to speak without stuttering or apologizing, Richter nodded once before turning to lead his new charge out of the room and around the building. The pair began their journey throughout, beginning with the rooms closest to where they currently were: the human researchers' laboratories. Richter paused before the first door, his gaze visibly saddening.

"I-I'm sorry, but I'm not really allowed in these rooms, so..."

"It's alright, Mister Abend." Aster smiled in an attempt to cheer up his new acquaintance. "I have a feeling I won't need to worry about this part of the building all that much."

His words made the half-elven boy wonder what he meant, but didn't question it as a pair of humans clad in white lab coats passed by them and through the door; both smiling at Aster as they went and completely ignoring Richter's presence. With a sigh, the redhead turned to continue his impromptu tour. "Next up are the general libraries and research facilities." He spoke with less confidence than he had before. Although Richter would like to say their treatment of him didn't affect him at all, he knew he'd be lying to himself if he did. "These are usually kept for visiting parties from other towns and things like that."

A pair of footsteps clambered up the staircase in the main hall, going to the second floor. Richter led his charge down the single hallway, explaining what was behind each of the few doors there. Once done with telling his small knowledge of the area, he turned around to see a sparkle of wonder and amazement in the light green orbs. "Wh-what?"

Aster glanced away for a moment, clearly knowing his next words might cause a bit of awkwardness. "You...didn't mention anywhere we've been that...well, you work there." His eyes looked up, trying not to show any negative emotions, and smiled in slight hope. "Would it be okay if I saw where you do your work? And where you used to sleep before the director had your things moved to my room."

With a silent nod, Richter began walking back down the way they had just come. He pattered down the steps, turned and strode quietly down the hallway before them. A hand reached out and grasped the handle of a large, metal door. The boy paused, turning to his left. "Are you sure you want to see?" It wasn't that he was afraid that, upon seeing the conditions of which half-elves like him worked, Aster would never talk to him again. In fact he was sure he'd never talk to the blond after the child could handle things on his own. He just didn't want to be the one to show such a young boy how cruel the world could be. With a nod from the blond, Richter turned the handle and opened the door. He held it open while Aster walked through, letting go once he cleared it and strode a few steps in front of him. Moments after they began down yet another staircase, a loud noise reverberated throughout the corridor.

The sound caused Aster to yelp in surprise. "What was that?"

Dark green eyes didn't bother looking away from their destination, a simple explanation coming from his lips. "The door."

Aster's bright gaze widened, staring up at Richter. "Does it always do that? Make that scary sound?" He gasped at the answer he received: a nod. "Why? Why is that the only door that does that? Doesn't it scare you when you're just walking and it goes 'boom!'?" To emphasize his point, the young boy's arms flipped outward, up, and away from his body.

"It used to at first," Richter replied evenly. "But I've gotten used to it over the few years I've been here." With nothing but a soft "oh..." in response, the redhead halted before another door made of some sort of heavy metal. He grasped the handle, opening it and stepping back for Aster to enter first as was custom.

They entered into a room that contained a few wooden tables, papers and other worn-down research materials scattered across them. Wide eyes looked around in surprise, fluttering around from object to object to researcher to random object. "Richter?" He turned to watch as his guide strode past where he stood and drew closer to those already in the room. As he did, one of the younger researchers paused in his work to glance up.

"Ah, Richter, there you are." The male looked to be in his mid-twenties, but in truth he was already about a hundred years old. In other words, he was still young for a half-elf. His dark eyes drifted towards Aster momentarily, then back to his kinsman. "Is there a reason you've brought a human here?" Although one may expect his question to sound angry or spiteful, the man was nothing but curious.

Nodding, Richter shifted around to look back at the boy. "Yes, the director's asked me to look after him while he gets used to things." He hesitantly rose a hand to motion for Aster to come closer. Once he did so, dark eyes met lighter ones with a silent plea not to interrupt him. "Mister Aster, this is Seito. He's been my mentor for the past three years."

Aster smiled up at the man, his hand moving slightly as if he wanted to offer it in greeting but wasn't sure if he should or not due to the look on Richter's face. So he settled for the next best thing he could think of. "It's nice to meet you Mister Seito."

If Seito was surprised in the slightest, his expression didn't show it. Instead he found himself smiling a little. "I assure you it's my pleasure, Mister Aster."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Richter, why do you and Seito call me 'mister' all the time?" Aster sat cross-legged atop the cot that had been moved into his room that was originally meant for Richter, but he decided to take it since it was both smaller and that he had seen the room the half-elven male used to sleep in. No one should be allowed to live in such a dark place all alone. It made the boy wonder why Richter and his fellow researchers had to deal with such living conditions. "It's not because I'm human is it?"<p>

Richter, still getting used to such a comfortable bed, sat with his feet dangling off the edge as he silently thought of his charge's words. "Yes, it is, Mis-"

"_Aster_, Richter. Just Aster."

Cringing, he nodded. "But yes, that's the reason."

"The reason...who? What's my name?"

"A-Aster." He couldn't believe it. A child two years younger than him was correcting him and he actually listened? Well, it was better than said child attacking him simply for being half-elven... "Y-your name is...A-Aster."

The young boys sat in silence, Aster looking around the room still and Richter had finally decided to get to sleep and had laid down on his side; head resting atop a single pillow. As he laid there, sounds of shuffling feet and a pencil scratching against paper met his half-elven ears. Obviously Aster was trying to be quiet, but not much could be done if the nine-year-old wanted to keep his actions secret from his temporary roommate. Just as Richter was about to fall asleep, something poked his forearm.

"Richter," Aster whispered. "Are you asleep?"

His eyes scrunched together momentarily before shakily opening to see the blond child sitting beside him holding a piece of paper. "I-I'm not anymore, but..." Slowly Richter sat up, looking towards his charge curiously. What could he possibly want this late?

Aster's gaze fell upon realizing he had awoken the other, but then light up again at the prospect of showing him the paper. "Here, I want you to have it." He offered the piece, it flapping a bit with the motion of moving forward.

From the looks of the paper and what was on it, Richter decided once and for all that yes, this boy was indeed only nine; for on it was a very poor scribble of two people. One had short hair and an antenna atop his head, the name "Aster" written carefully below him, and the other with slightly longer hair and thin glasses had "Richter" beneath. Written at the top of the page was a trio of words: best friends forever. With a sigh, the redhead set it down between them. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept this. There's just no way you'll want to keep talking to me after you learn just how half-elves like me are treated and seen by humans like you. If you try to be friends with half-elves, you'll just be bringing trouble upon yourself." He shifted it closer to Aster, expression filling with sadness. "I...I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>Location: Sybak, Tethe'alla<p>

Year: 3998 A.K.W.

A few years have passed, and a couple of things have changed within the walls of Sybak's research academy. For one, there was now a young teenage human living down in the basement with the half-elven researchers. Like the rest of them, he was barely seen about the rest of the building yet it didn't really affect him all that much. The blond still cheerfully went about his business, ignoring the odd stares and negative comments pondering how he "could stand to be around filthy, disgusting half-elves so much". Once though, he heard a specific remark from a fellow human researcher about a certain half-elf. One he couldn't simply walk by and pretend he didn't hear.

"That boy should know better than think he could ever become friends with that thing." The whispers said. "Aster clearly doesn't realize how savage that redheaded half-breed is; how they all are." Lime eyes narrowed, their owner turning and quickly stepping before the speaker. "But that-Ah, Aster, how are you today?"

Glaring, the now fourteen-year-old human male determinedly kept his hands from slapping the other across his face. "I'm perfectly fine, actually. Only I keep hearing this annoying buzzing down this hallway that sounds almost like it could be someone here." His hands clenched into fists, both hiding beneath the sleeves of his lab coat. "Oh wait, that's right. It's you."

An eyebrow rose at Aster's response. "I don't see what your problem with me is. I haven't done a thing to you these past five years. If anything, I've offered my help."

"Then do you mind telling me what is was you were talking about with your friend right now?"

He shrugged off-handedly. "I was just saying that half-breeds like that freak you call a friend are worth nothing more than dir-ow! What the hell was that for?"

Aster's bright eyes could barely be seen as he let loose and sent a hand across the other's cheek. "I've had enough of you and your friends talking down about Richter!" He shouted, the anger in his tone on the edge of complete fury. "People like you have been abusing half-elves like him for far too long and I'm tired of it! If you just stop to try and get to know him he's not as terrible or disgusting as you say he is! Sure, he might be a bit rough when you first meet him but that's only because humans have looked down upon him and treated him as their punching bag!" As he ranted, his words echoing throughout practically the entire building, a set of footsteps couldn't be heard as their owner traversed up towards the source of the disruption. "Richter is my friend! He is my friend and I'm not going to let some conceited jerk like you talk bad about him just because you feel like you're superior to him when you're not! None of you are as half as intelligent as he is! I have no doubt he surpassed all of you before he even came to this institution! And-" Aster felt a weight settle atop his shoulder, causing him to pause and glare at the person who thought for a moment he'd listen to the request of "settle down" that they were most likely going to tell him. His eyes widened immeasurably, mouth opening and closing a couple of times before the blond was even able to speak. "Ri-Richter! I-"

"It's fine, Aster," the redhead responded softly, not moving his hand at all until the young teen calmed down. "Just please stop yelling, you're disrupting everyone."

And indeed he was correct as the blond looked around at multiple doors hanging open with people staring in shock at his actions. "Ah, sorry, everyone. I...I'll stop now. Please excuse me, I didn't mean to cause such trouble for you all."

"Your problem is things like him. Those half-breeds have corrupted your mind, Aster."

Spinning back around at his fellow human, Aster's expression completely blanked. "Haven't you made enough trouble for one day?"

Although he couldn't see the blond's expression, Richter knew that things would be alright now that Aster had calmed. A bit hesitantly, a hand reached up to tug on the one strand of hair that defied gravity. "Come on, you need to get back to work." He kept a hold of the boy's shoulder as the two of them left in the directions the redhead had come. "What were you doing up here anyway?" The question was voiced as if they were the only ones in the corridor, both of them reverting back to the ways of speech that had become customary down in the basement. See, after Aster had grown accustomed to the rules and regulations like Director Schneider had asked, he made a request of his own once he'd spent a year there: to work with Richter and the other half-elves.

Once the pair entered through the first metal door, Aster having held it open for Richter, their pace slowed down as if neither of them wanted to go back so soon. The older of the two had continued on walking, but when he noticed his companion wasn't beside him, he turned around to see Aster still holding the door as it slowly drifted shut. Unlike the many times before, it didn't create such a loud and foreboding sound, but it did make a quieter one nonetheless.

"What was the point of that?"

Bright green eyes looked quickly towards Richter, widened in surprise. "Oh, whoops, I guess you. . .heh, I hoped you wouldn't have."

"Aster, I'm a half-elf. We have better hearing than humans do," his darker eyes stared flatly from behind thin pieces of glass, clearly unimpressed as he folded his arms across his chest. "Besides, I've had this peculiar-looking shadow for the past four years, and I've gotten used to the feeling of having it close to me."

The boy looked down, seeing only the other's true shadow. "Really? Where is it then?"

Richter sighed. "That was a joke..."

As his head tilted to the side, Aster pondered it for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Ah, I get it! You meant me!" He continued to chuckle and somewhat giggle as he hopped over to Richter's side, standing right atop his actual shadow, grinning up at him. "There, now I really am your shadow."

A small smile graced the redhead's lips. "Perhaps." His hand rose, gesturing that they needed to be getting back to the lab. "Come on."

Once again the roles were reversed, according to normal society, as the blond held the door open for his friend to enter first. As he passed by, Aster commented, "You know, you're not all that apt at telling jokes."

With a chuckle, the sixteen-year-old teen replied. "So I've noticed." The two of them continued on, the older of them inquiring as to what the other's reasoning behind holding the doors as they closed. All he got as an answer was a simple smile and knowing gaze and it made him wonder: just how intelligent of a human was he dealing with?

* * *

><p>Sounds of a light, wooden door opening and closing carefully met a pair of teenage human ears. A glance over to the clock beside his bed told the boy that it was almost three in the morning as the shuffling behind him told the blond that his roommate had finally finished what he was working on in the lab down the hallway and decided to get some sleep while he could. Aster felt a gaze rest on his blanket-covered form for a moment, probably wondering if he was really asleep or not.<p>

"Aster?" His friend's whisper broke the seeming silence, getting no response at all. "If you're still awake because you were waiting up for me, and I'll know tomorrow if you were, I shall make you pay for it."

The fourteen-year-old male chuckled within his mind, making sure he kept up the guise of sleep for his own safety. Then a thought came to him of what others could take the redhead's words as: a threat to his welfare, which was never allowed in the slightest considering the rules and regulations when it comes to their different races. He made a mental note to remind Richter at some point to make sure he's careful with what he says when they're anywhere other than the basement; for their own good.

Springs creaked slightly as the half-elven researcher laid down in his bed and silence once again reigned throughout the room. For a moment anyway. Then a muttered "don't even think of correcting me later if you're awake and heard that" reaching across the room from where the redhead laid on his side, facing the wall.

Only a few hours later Richter rose and went through his usual morning routine of making his bed, what Aster once called a poor excuse for one anyway, and changed into similar clothes to the ones he had worn the day before. It wasn't that they had a uniform, the young sixteen-year-old simply didn't have much variety of clothing. After all, he had been there since he wasn't that much older than Aster when he had arrived; eight, so in fact he had been younger. He then strode swiftly to Aster's beside, a small frown on his face and a glass of cold water in his hand. "Wake up, we're slightly behind schedule already."

Since the redhead received no response from the dozing young teenager, he lifted the clear container above the boy's head and deftly flipped it over. As a result, the blond sat straight up like he had been light on fire and glared half-heartedly at his friend. "That's cold!"

Richter shrugged just before turning his back to the boy and making his way towards the door. "That's what you get for staying up so late last night."

In a hurry, as he always did when he had overslept, Aster dashed around the room in an attempt to get ready for the day ahead of him faster than he ever had before and soon found himself beside his fellow researcher. Beneath his white lab coat the blond wore dark pants with a simple white tunic, a belt carefully secured around his waist. And due to his damp alarm, all but a single bit of hair hung straight down. The boy's appearance always amazed his companion, who for the life of him couldn't figure out why Aster's hair wouldn't all obey gravity like it should. "You're mean, Richter." He remarked, walking through the door after his friend. "If I were a normal human," the blond began lightly, "I have no doubt you wouldn't -"

"Be alive?" The older of the pair cut off the younger with a slightly emotionless ending to the blond's sentence. Richter chuckled, glancing to his side to meet Aster's lime green gaze. "I hope you know you're one of us after all this time. You're like a brother to m-us, Aster." A smirk made its way upon his face. "And intelligent creatures like ourselves have a very strict code for family. That is, we don't appreciate it if one of our own even lightly joke about turning against any of us. I thought you would have understood that much after living down here with us for so long."

Aster smiled. "Yeah, I know...but four years isn't all that long to half-elves. Not when compared to the average life span anyway."

With a small sigh, the redhead led the way down the hallway and over to their usual wooden table. Atop it laid a multitude of papers and other gadgets that most knew not the purpose of. The pair worked in relative silence, only momentary murmurs as they tried to finish the daily work as soon as they could. See after that, the pair of teenagers were able to research whatever they wanted to...if they kept said research away from the ears of others. They kept up the appearance of working on things for the academy, but in truth the young males were trying to discover the presence and truth behind myths and stories. Although they were sure the one they were working on at the moment was more than just a myth.

Their current project involved the Summon Spirit of the Great Kharlan tree, known to most as Lord Ratatosk, and his eight Centurions: Aqua, Glacis, Ignis, Lumen, Solum, Tenebrae, Tonitrius, and Ventus. So far they had determined that it was likely the Centurions had dominion over certain types of monsters that populated Tethe'alla. Like the Coffinmaster said to dwell within the Temple of Darkness or the Ghouls that live in Gaoracchia Forest would be Tenebrae's monsters. However, there were also some monsters on Tethe'alla that didn't exactly match any of the known elemental temples like the Violent Vipers Aster had come across on his way from Meltokio to Sybak as a child. Being fire-based monsters, the Centurion Ignis whose command, so to speak, they fell under had a temple in Sylvarant instead. The pair speculated it was due to the worlds' connection, but how something like that occurred they weren't all that sure.

"Hey, Richter," Aster started, keeping his voice quiet, but knew that everyone in the room could hear him. He mentally thanked them all for not mentioning his and Richter's research. "Wouldn't it be cool if we could actually go to some of the nearby temples and-"

"Don't even finish that thought. You and I both know that will never happen, not any time soon at any rate." The redhead retorted logically. "Even if we could leave Sybak, the only temple we could even attempt to study would be the temple of earth." Aster's mouth opened as if he were to reply with a way, but Richter wouldn't have it. "You'd have a better chance alone, but I doubt either of us would appreciate it. Nor would I be able to do much without you here. No offense, but you're the only one I'd consider working with."

The younger male knew he wouldn't have said it if he didn't truly believe it, so it made the blond happy to know he had come such a far way in becoming Richter's friend than he thought could ever be possible. "But you know, I may be able to ask Director-"

Richter shook his head. "No, he can't do anything about it if he wants to abide by the King's laws. You've heard what humans say above, half-elves are worthless creatures. Some say we're lower than monsters." He was about to continue when his friend grasped his wrist and pulled him out of the lab, down the hallway, and through the door of their shared room. "Aster, what are you-?"

Light green orbs practically glared at the darker set, determination clear in his gaze. "I have a question for you." His reasoning behind dragging the older male away from the others was obvious: he wanted to talk one-on-one, without worrying that not even the superior hearing of their fellow researchers could hear them. "Are you a man?"

Richter blinked, silent at the question. "What are you talking a-?"

"Answer me. Are you a man?"

An eyebrow rose in slight confusion at the other's words, still not quite sure as to why the blond was asking him such a thing. "Yes, I am," Richter stated calmly. "I have been a male ever since I was born, so why are you asking such a pointless-?"

"I'm not asking if you're a male, that much is obvious. I am asking if you are a man. A man is someone who is not afraid of speaking up for himself. A man is the kind of male who says what he wants without worrying if he will anger someone else. A man who doesn't care what others think of him. Whereas a dog is someone who would grovel and beg, or run away at the first sight of another's anger. Or even worse, do absolutely nothing about it." As he spoke, Aster's gaze never once wavered from his friend's face, almost looking directly into the redhead's soul if he could. "So I'll ask again. Are you a man? Or are you a dog?"

Richter twitched, wanting to lightly hit the boy for suggesting such a thing. "I'm not a dog, Aster."

It was the blond's turn to stare up at Richter in doubt, an eyebrow raised and head slightly tilted to the side. "Are you sure? Because it seems to me like you're not a man, Richter. Sure, you're more of a man than you used to be, but still definitely not a man."

"Are you saying I used to be a dog?" The redhead demanded, beginning to get angry himself. "Is that what you're saying?"

He got a nod in response. "That's exactly it. Remember that day a few months ago when Ade and his friends were bullying you?" Richter nodded his head. "What did you do in response?"

They stood there, Aster staring unblinkingly up at the other, waiting for an answer to his question. He decidedly didn't say a word until his friend did, thus they remained where they were minute after minute. Finally, the redhead spoke up. "Nothing. I didn't do anything but remain silent despite their harassment." As the eighteen-year-old half-elf thought back to the day, and about Aster's words, he could understand how the other could think him a dog. He hung his head as his lips released the words of the past, his eyelids sliding down over his dark green eyes as his bangs cast a shadow on his cheeks.

"Exactly. You're like that with any human besides me you come across too." The younger's gaze softened, finally glancing momentarily away. "Nothing will change for you if you just take it, Richter. You need to learn to speak up for yourself, be a man." The blond looked back; the anger gone leaving only the desire to help in his eyes. "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality."

Richter looked up. "Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? Just because one has courage doesn't mean they'll succeed in what they do."

Shrugging, Aster stepped back and towards his beside. He opened the drawer there, took out a mirror, and turned to face the redhead. "That may be true, but if the one you see in this mirror doesn't have courage in himself, nothing he tries to do will ever become reality. I'm sure you've noticed over the years that I sometimes glance in there, right?" The boy gestured to the drawer he had withdrawn the item from and received a nod from Richter. "This is what I keep as a reminder to myself that everyone, no matter who or what they are, deserves my respect. Just like the one I see in this mirror does whenever I look into it." They stared at each other for a moment before the blond set the reflective piece back where it belonged, then smiled up at his friend. "I guess all I'm trying to say is that you don't need to be so submissive all the time. Have more respect for yourself."

* * *

><p>Location: Ginnungagap<p>

Year: 4000 A.K.W.

A set of practically silent footfalls echoed throughout the fiery corridor, steadily following his excited companion as the two of them made their way down to the center of what most called the Ginnungagap. They knew they were getting close, having started out in what looked more like a forest than anything. "Aster, you need to be careful," the young adult advised. "We don't want to have to face even more monsters than we already have."

With a sigh, the young blond stepped onto a semi-translucent bridge; one of two that led across a gap to a circular platform. "Yeah, I know, Richter," he replied, spinning to face his best friend in excitement. "But if we're right, we're going to meet Ratatosk! And then we can ask him to help restore the world's balance of mana." Light green eyes shone brightly up at a darker pair, the hope within the younger of the two quite obvious.

They crossed both bridges side by side, the redhead wanted to make sure he could protect his friend if anything were to ambush them. "Halt! Who dares to disturb my lord?" A slightly feminine voice demanded.

"What?" Richter questioned, glancing around for the source of the voice. "Show yourself, and we shall answer."

One of the nine orbs embedded into the wall glowed momentarily. Before them in a flash of bright light appeared a pure white, cat-looking creature with light blue eyes. It floated in the air for a moment before settling down upon the ground a few feet away from the researchers.

"Wh-who are you?" Aster wondered, his head tilting to the side slightly, eyes widened in surprise.

The creature bowed it's head momentarily, gaze falling first on Richter then on his companion. "I am Centurion Lumen. With whom do I speak?" She, or so the pair assumed to be a she, spoke evenly and without the hint of anger from her initial words.

Both of the researchers' gaze shifted from Lumen to the other and back. Aster stepped forward with his left foot towards the Centurion. "My name is Aster and this is my friend, Richter. We were hoping we could talk to Lord Ratatosk." His voice wavered in his introduction, but by the time he finished speaking, the teenager sounded more confident than he really felt inside. "If we could, I mean."

Silence met the boy's words, Lumen looking from one to the other slowly. "You are human, yet you call this half-elf your friend? Interesting."

"I-"

She shook her head. "Do not take offense to my words, young Aster. It pleases me to see that things have changed since I last awoken." What seemed to be a small smile appeared on her lips. "I must admit it's been a while, but-"

"Will you allow us to talk to Ratatosk or not?" Richter interrupted, his expression betraying his slight annoyance at the talkative Centurion. The only response he got was a soft laugh as she disappeared the same way she had come.

Aster turned to face his friend. "What were you thinking talking to a Centurion like tha-?" His words were cut short as a wave of heat crashed over the pair from Sybak, eyelids shielding them temporarily from the warmth and light.

Sounds of a pair of feet setting upon the circular floor met both human and half-elven ears. A very humanoid form stood before them, his blood red eyes gazing at the pair in undisguised hatred. His skin was paler than even Aster's, and perhaps shoulder length, dark red hair shifted slightly as he turned his whole head to stare at them. Upon his shoulders rested a short, black cape that covered most of his torso as well. At his hip was a simple pair of dark grey pants, leading down to bare feet.

"Are you Lord Ratatosk, Summon Spirit of the Giant Kharlan Tree?"

His eyes narrowed as he directed his attention to the blond. "Some have called me by that name." Even Ratatosk's tone of voice told the pair he didn't appreciate their presence.

However, Richter wasn't swayed by the other's anger. "The current balance of mana in the natural world is in a state of chaos. Although we believe your power is necessary to restore the correct balance."

Before the redheaded half-elf had spoken, Ratatosk hadn't paid all that much attention to him, but at his words the Summon Spirit's fists clenched as a scowl appeared upon his face. His voice lowered to barely more than a growl. "And why should I help you? Even if I adjust the balance of mana, the world will die without a tree to sustain it."

"We have heard that a new tree has been born," Aster began. "But, as far as we can tell, the Summon Spirit of the new tree doesn't possess your power to control the flow of mana."

Ratatosk chuckled darkly. "So?"

"So please, please use your Centurions to restore the balance of mana!" The sixteen-year-old human requested. "If you do that, then the world will be sa-"

"Awaken, Centurions!" The Summon Spirit commanded, his gaze glaring in anger at both Aster and Richter. "Restore the bond with your monsters and repair the mana of the world!" As a result of Ratatosk's call, six of the eight cores below the blood red one at the top began to glow. The young blond began to open his mouth to thank the nonhuman, but then was silenced into shock at his next words. "And then go and eradicate mankind..." burning eyes landed directly on the half-elf, "who destroyed my tree!"

Aster took a step back. "Wha-What are you doing?"

"You want to save to world, right?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, but-!"

Ratatosk seemed to shake with anger, a darkness slowly gathering around his being. "Who destroyed the Giant Kharlan Tree? It was the humans and the half-elves!" He roared. "That's why they deserve to die!"

"But a new World Tree has been born in-"

Ratatosk scoffed, his right hand flipping out away from his side. "And it's just a matter of time before you filthy beings destroy that one as well!" The red-eyed male ranted. "Don't you understand? You 'people' are nothing more than parasites upon this world."

The young blond shook his head multiple times in quick succession. "N-no! That's not true! Humans and half-elves are a very impor-"

"SILENCE!" His enraged shout silenced the boy moments before large ball of pure energy knocked him to the ground. As a result, Aster flew back a few feet with a sickening crash to the ground. His body rolled for a few moments before it stilled, lying face up.

Richter stared for a second at the scene before calling out to his best friend as he rushed to the younger's side. The half-elf fell to his knees beside Aster's limp form, hurriedly trying to find a pulse. Everyone present knew what had happened, but it was with disbelief and anger in his eyes as Richter stood to gaze at Ratatosk.

As he did so, the pair of Centurions that hadn't immediately left to do their lord's bidding appeared beside him. They took the forms of a very dark canine and a blue mermaid: Tenebrae and Aqua. "And there you have it." Ratatosk commented smugly. "You see? The world is no worse off without that foolish parasite."

Dark green eyes met blood red, neither one looking away for at least a while. "How could you?" Richter demanded. "You…" In one swift motion, he unsheathed his axe and sword, rushing towards Ratatosk in a blind rage. "You damn bastard!" Just as he was about to make contact, the Summon Spirt raised both his hands, creating a barrier. However, the blast that had killed Aster took a lot out of him, so it wasn't long before the dual weapon wielder was able to injure Ratatosk enough that he soon disappeared in a flash of white light. As the light faded, a shiny red sphere could be seen at the redhead's feet. Upon it's surface is the symbol Richter had come to know as Ratatosk's seal: a set of pure white wings. All three pairs of eyes stared down at the sphere. "What is this?"

Aqua whirled around almost like she was swimming through the air and came up behind Richter. "That's Lord Ratatosk's core," she explained, a small smile barely able to be see upon her face. "Lord Ratatosk will keep coming back to life unless you destroy it!"

"Are you betraying us, Aqua?" Tenebrae demanded, floating quickly over to snatch Ratatosk's core as Richter was about to pick it up. Richter ordered the Centurion of Darkness to give the core to him, but the canine Centurion simply floated away with a call of "I cannot allow Lord Ratatosk to be killed" echoing throughout the room as he disappeared in a swirl of pure darkness.

* * *

><p>Location: Near Luin, Aselia<p>

Year: 4002 A.K.W.

"So I was thinking that we could-"

"Aqua."

The Centurion of Water paused, looking slightly annoyed that she had been interrupted, but silenced herself nonetheless. "Yes, Master Richter?" She wondered, her voice just yelling that she liked the male more than anything else in the world.

"Shut up." The half-elven male continued down the path, the trees of the forest steadily lessening in number as he left their shelter.

Already it had been at least half a week since they left the forest near Sybak. It took much longer than either of them expected it to for Richter was more than slightly reluctant to leave his late best friend's final resting place, even though it had already been two years. However, they had and were almost near the Sylvaranti city of Luin when a howl met their ears. "Hey, that sounds like Tenebonehead."

Richter paused momentarily to glance towards his traveling companion skeptically. "And you're sure about that?"

The floating Centurion nodded. "Definitely," she replied as another howl sounded, a hint of anger in her voice. "I'd know that spiteful jerk's voice anywhere."

With a sigh, the redhead told her to remain on the outskirts of Luin as he crossed the bridge over to where a fountain stood off to the left. Although the scenery wasn't what first caught his eye. Instead it was the young boy that was currently getting bullied by a set of twin males about his same age.

"No you didn't!" They both retorted simultaneously, each of them stepping towards the blond boy. "You don't like Lloyd the Great, do you, Emil?" The twin in read demanded.

As Richter watched, the twins taunted and tried to force the blond named Emil to swear his allegiance to "Lloyd the Great". He shook his head, spinning away from the statue to face his tormentors. "No, I won't!" Emil's body shook in anger. "Lloyd killed my parents, and I'll never swear allegiance to that murder!"

But what he couldn't figure out was why the one they call Emil looked exactly like Aster. He stepped silently forward.

"Shut up, you monster!"

"Yeah, we'll teach you a lesson!"

Both of the twins shoved the boy back, causing him to trip over his own feet and right on top of Richter's. He offered a hand to the blond and helped him silently to his feet. Narrowing his dark green eyes at the twins, the redhead couldn't help but order tell them both to get lost.

"Wha-what? Who the hell are you?"

Getting more than slightly annoyed, the half-elf allowed himself to glare angrily at the pair of bullies. "I said go!" Flinching momentarily, the twins turned tail and ran for their pathetic lives.

"Uh-um...I-I" Emil murmured hesitantly, staring at the ground for a moment before finally looking up at his savior.

Taken aback at the sight of even the boy's face looking like Aster's, Richter could barely speak. "Y-you." He surprised even himself by stuttering. "You are…" You look exactly like him.

"U-um...y-yes?" Emil wondered nervously. "Wh-what is it?"

"Never mind," the redheaded half-elf replied, still slightly disturbed by the resemblance. "You know, you should stand up for yourself." With that, Richter strode past the boy and across the bridge leading farther into town. Like on the other miniature island, there was a crystalline statue. Only it was of a woman, according to the writing at its base, named Raine Sage. Out of the corner of his eye, Richter noticed Emil shuffle up beside him. "What is it?" Upon not getting much of an answer right away, the redhead questioned him. "If you've got nothing to say, then I've got something to ask you."

"Uh...O-Okay."

Shifting his weight from one side to the other, forest green eyes stared down at the boy. "So they said your name is Emil. Well, Emil, have you seen a girl around here with a red jewel on her forehead?"

Emil stepped back in obvious confusion, "Wh-what?" He shook his head, looking down at the ground. "Um, n-no, sir."

"What're you so nervous about?" Richter inquired, unconsciously comparing the boy's actions to those of his late friend. Again the human male mumbled a stuttered response that the redhead was sure he wouldn't have been able to hear without having heightened hearing due to his elven blood. He sighed, the few years spent after Aster's death having hardened his expressions and locked away most of his emotions. Richter turned to face Emil directly, his face devoid of any sort of emotion. "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality."

Emil's lime green eyes widened. "H-huh?"

Glancing off to his left and away from the boy, Richter decided to explain his odd words. "They're words a human with a few screws loose said long ago." Long ago, the redhead repeated in his mind; scoffing. It was only two years, but even so… "When you refused to swear allegiance to Lloyd, didn't you feel courage welling up inside of you?" Accidentally, he found himself repeating practically the very same words that got him thinking twice about the way he reacted to others. "Those who would grovel and beg, or run away at the first sight of another's anger are dogs. Or even worse." Richter paused, gaze shifting back to the blond. "Are you a dog? Or are you really a man?"

Slowly, Emil shook his head before looking away himself. "I-I'm…um…"

Richter couldn't stop himself from chuckling softly to himself at the irony of him talking like that to someone who looked just like Aster. "Just try to do your best to be a man, Emil."


End file.
